New Delhi: In a two hour stay in Nitish’s Bihar, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi stole the show. Thousand of BJP workers were present to escort Modi from Patna airport to residence of late BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra. Narendra Modi visited Bihar to pay tribute to late BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra.

Modi came to Patna after a gap of 28 months when he was last here for the BJP national executive meeting in June, 2010. He was lustily greeted by BJP workers who raised slogans wanting him to be the next Prime Minister.

It appeared as if BJP workers were receiving the future Prime Minister instead of present Gujarat Chief Minister. "Desh ka Pradhan Mantri kaisa ho, Narendra Modi jaisa ho" (a person like Modi should be the PM)," the workers shouted when Modi reached at Patna.

There is no love lost between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his counterpart Modi. Nitish has ensured that the Gujarat strongman was kept out of Bihar in the 2005 and 2010 assembly elections as also the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Nitish was cut up when advertisements appeared in local newspapers during the BJP meet here showing an old photograph of him and Modi holding hands. Nitish had then cancelled a dinner he was to host for BJP leaders.

To show his displeasure, the Bihar Chief Minister had also returned a cheque of Rs.five crore sent by the Gujarat government as relief for victims of Kosi floods.

Nitish has also made it clear that his JD(U), which is running a coalition government with the help of BJP in the state, will not back Modi as NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in 2014.

He has stated that the NDA nominee for the top post should be somebody with "secular credentials".

Nitish, who is also seen as a front runner for the PM's post, has insisted that he was not an aspirant and that he was happy managing Bihar.